NORWICH 2 SUNDERLAND 1: LEON BARNETT HAS CANARIES SOARING

The centre-back opted to hang around up front even though a poor corner from Anthony Pilkington had been cleared.

And he was rewarded with his first Premier League goal for the club when the East Anglian outfit attacked again.

The Canaries added a second early in the second half from a more likely source, centre-forward Steve Morison taking advantage of more poor defending.

Kieran Richardson pulled one back near the end but Paul Lambert’s side held on for three points.

Barnett’s opener in the 31st minute came after Elliott Bennett played a smart one-two with David Fox and dashed down the right flank.

His low cross just evaded Wes Brown, whose attempt to block was weak to say the least, leaving Barnett with the simple task of sidefooting home from just a few yards out.

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce would have been fuming at Seb Larsson as he failed to track back, while centre-back Titus Bramble let Barnett get free so easily.

But the goal was no more than Lambert’s men deserved and ensured that in the clash of the Canaries and the Black Cats, it was the latter who were in a first- half flap.

Premier League new boys Norwich, like Sunderland unchanged from their last match, started brightly.

Morison had a shot on target in the third minute, but it was easy enough for keeper Simon Mignolet.

Three minutes later Wes Hoolahan should have scored when Bramble inadvertently flicked on a Barnett punt.

As Mignolet charged off his line, the ball looked to have bounced perfectly for the Norwich skipper to lob it into the unguarded net – but his effort was way over.

A fine challenge by Barnett stopped John O’Shea’s impressive surge into the box just as it looked likely to pay dividends.

Then Craig Gardner fired a few feet over after being teed up nicely by Nicklas Bendtner.

Norwich – whose last home win in the Premier League before last night was against Bruce’s Birmingham six years ago – continued to assert themselves without really looking like scoring. But Bendtner did in the 26th minute.

He controlled a pass from Stephane Sessegnon before firing in a left-foot volley – but keeper John Ruddy got down low to his right to push it away and then finally gather.

Barnett struck the opener before Sessegnon had an opportunity for a snap- shot, but he screwed it horribly wide.

Then Larsson could only poke a volley 10 yards wide in Sunderland’s last attack of the half.

Norwich were lively from the restart – there was no need for a “Let’s be ’aving you” rant from Delia Smith this time – and were rewarded with a second goal in the 48th minute.

Mignolet had to claw away a fine cross from Pilkington following an impressive thrust down the left flank from the winger, and Norwich’s next move was even better.

This time it was left- back Marc Tierney who got to the byline and his chipped centre was per- fect for striker Morison to head home powerfully.

Brown was again was at fault, being brushed aside all too easily by Morison as the striker claimed his first top-flight Sunderland pulled one back in the 86th minute through a fine left-foot shot from Richardson but it was too little, too late.